Reckless Billionaire (Billionaire Knights)

by Cheryl Phipps

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Reckless Billionaire

  Cheryl Phipps

  Copyright © 2017 by Cheryl Phipps

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Dedication

  For my Family

  We might not be on the same level as the Knights financially, but we’ve certainly got the loving and caring sorted.

  Here’s to all of you. xx

  Contents

  Reckless Billionaire

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Thank you

  About the Author

  Also by Cheryl Phipps

  Reluctant Billionaire

  Reckless Billionaire

  A man looking for his place.

  A woman with a lot to give.

  Matthew Knight’s got problems he isn’t willing to admit to and having a nurse babysit him is hardly doing his image much good. Although Aimee Parker sure is hot and things could be a lot worse.

  How does a billionaire have so many demons? Aimee doesn’t want to feel sorry for a man who has everything he desires, but Matt is one gorgeous hunk of mixed up male.

  Chapter One

  Exhaustion began to slip over Matthew Knight like a slow-moving mudslide. It made his limbs heavy and his mind wander. Traveling around the country for Knight Industries, he’d landed in the small private airfield outside San Francisco less than an hour ago and was finally headed home.

  He was happy about that until he remembered—home would be noisy, and getting noisier by the day. His eldest sister, Sarah, had recently given birth to the newest Knight. Her partner, a famous surgeon, had his own estate, but they were at Knight Stables several times a week to appease their mother, who was keen to be a hands-on grandmother. Okay, the baby was cute but it was hard to get excited over all that eating and sleeping, or not sleeping which seemed to coincide with Sarah’s visits.

  His eldest brother, Ben, had found his partner at Sarah’s failed wedding. That was a long, bizarre story, but Jenna Molloy had turned out to be a great addition. Taming Mr. Ruthless was almost a claim to fame, and the family was indebted. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed that this brother would be so gaga over little William.

  Things around him were certainly changing fast, which gave him mixed feelings, since his own life seemed to have stagnated.

  The Harley throbbed between his legs, and he blinked several times to clear his vision. If only he’d been able to sleep on the plane, he might be feeling more alive. The bike usually did that for him. Not tonight. As he left the city, the dark roads after recent rain became blurry. He flexed his fingers and wiped his visor with his gloved hand.

  He hated the confinement of planes and was over the constant travel, unlike his twin brother, Evan, who was usually far more restless than he was. Matt loved San Francisco and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but still, he wanted to ride like the wind, go where he wanted, when the mood took him. It didn’t happen often because the business was full-on, and kept expanding.

  He hated to let anyone down, yet the desire to do something else had gotten so bad over the last few months he’d started thinking it was time to walk away from the business altogether. His mother still sat at the helm as CEO, but it was just a matter of time until Ben or Sarah took over. Maybe not Ben since he was making plans with their foster brother, Andy, to expand their security business. Sarah was wrapped up in the baby and the rest were doing their own thing, meaning Matt was stuck there for the foreseeable future.

  As that thought settled in his mind, bright lights cut through the night, almost blinding him. A truck driver had taken the hairpin curve ahead too wide and was now on the wrong side of the road.

  Matt cursed, his reflexes way too slow. There was no point in slamming on the brakes—he’d end up sliding right under the damn thing. To avoid a head-on crash, he veered the bike to the right, instantly aware of his miscalculation. The right side of the road, as he damn well knew, had a steep bank. Forgetting that fact, might well have made this his worst decision ever.

  His tires tried in vain to connect with the metal on the verge, but gravel gave way to soil loosened by rain. It felt like the whole episode was happening in slow motion, and he was powerless to stop it.

  He let the bike go at the top of the bank, pushing himself backwards, but he was going too fast. Over and over the bike rolled, and he followed suit. Pain shot through him as he connected with rocks and shrubs while desperately trying to grab something—anything—to break his fall.

  This can’t be good. I’m going to die, he thought, as his head connected with a tree.

  Chapter Two

  Aimee noted the John Doe’s stats on the clipboard. He was lucky to be alive. His face was busted, as was his body. When he’d come into emergency, she’d been about to finish her shift. As usual in the ER she did what she could before the patient went through to surgery.

  She was about to leave when the head nurse asked her to take on another shift in the post-op ward. Tired, but needing the money, Aimee agreed. At least it was a change of scenery and less demanding than the ER.

  There was a strict routine for the patients coming out of theatre of checking vitals and making sure they were comfortable. It was continuous, and necessary. Everyone reacted differently to anesthetics and Aimee had always found this intriguing.

  Some people were groggy for hours, while others bounced in and out of consciousness, happy and chatty. There were the miserable ones, and some who were incredibly funny, which were her favorite. It made life easier if they weren’t constantly complaining, especially when she worked so many hours, and tonight she was experiencing a good run.

  A few hours later she saw what should have been the last patient of her night wheeled onto the ward. She checked that he was hooked up to the monitors, then turned her attention to him.

  Her John Doe was awake. His blue eyes, still bright in their black and blue surrounds, held a question, or perhaps many. He watched her as she checked his notes. She knew most of it already and it was pretty clear just looking at the poor man what his injuries were.

  His jaw had taken a hit and he was bruised from his broken nose down to his chin. A blanket covered what she knew to be a well-defined torso which had also taken a battering. Knowing firsthand how busy it was tonight, she made the call to inform her patient of his injuries rather than wait for the doctor.

  “Hello, sir. You’re in San Francisco General Hospital. There was an accident, and you came off your bike. You’ve had s
urgery for a broken leg and arm. Luckily your helmet saved your head, but your nose was also busted and you have a laceration to your left arm.”

  He blinked but didn’t say anything, so she continued. “You’ll be sore for some time, so you have pain relief going into the IV. As soon as you start to feel it wear off, you can press this button here to administer more.” She pulled it closer to his hand. “There’s no danger of overdosing, so don’t fight it, especially over the first couple of days. Now, is there someone I can call for you?”

  He frowned for a moment, then looked relieved. “My mom. She’ll be worried,” he croaked, looking around the room. “Her number’s in my phone. Where’s my stuff?”

  Aimee could see the lines in his face that said how much the small amount of effort cost him. “We only had the clothes we cut off you, which were little more than rags. There was no ID in them.”

  “My jacket. It had my wallet in the pocket. There were clothes in a small bag stowed on the bike as well,” he gasped.

  “Take it easy, sir. I’m sorry; there wasn’t a jacket, or anything else. I’ll contact the rig that brought you in to check if anything turned up later. Meanwhile, if you give me a number, I’ll call your mom for you.”

  The patient frowned. “I can’t remember any numbers.”

  “That’s totally understandable, I don’t remember phone numbers either, and I haven’t been in an accident. Let’s start with something easier. What’s your name?”

  He frowned again then his blue eyes sparkled. “Matt.”

  “I’m going to need a little more,” she smiled encouragingly.

  He tapped his head, which wasn’t a clever think to do. “I can feel it—right there—but it won’t come.”

  Then he tried to sit, his good arm clutching at the bedding for support. The drips that were connected to him pulled against his skin. Beads of sweat shone on his forehead and he fell back against the pillow, his face pale, his eyes shut tight against the pain.

  Aimee tutted while she checked his blood pressure, making sure all the tubing was still intact. “Don’t force it, Matt. What you need is rest and sleep. Your body is telling you that, and you should listen. You’ll remember your last name.”

  He squinted at her. “You promise?”

  She finished taking his vitals and offered him a sip of water from the glass she’d filled. She didn’t make promises. Not to anyone. “I’ve seen this plenty. A little time is all you need. Now, my shift is almost finished, but I’ll check on another couple of patients then come see you’re okay before I go.”

  “You’re leaving me?”

  She smothered a grin. “Don’t look so worried. You have the pain relief on hand, and you can call a nurse anytime with this remote which also adjusts the bed.”

  Why was it that the big strong men were the sorriest for themselves? Aimee mused, as she started her rounds once more.

  Unclogging an IV, topping up pain medications, and offering sips of water kept her busy. It was a blessing really, since the time flew by. There were no emergencies, which was an added bonus, so Aimee was feeling pretty good by the time she got back to her Matt Doe.

  He looked happy to see her, and she hoped it wouldn’t be too long before someone reported a missing person and they had his surname. For his sake.

  “Did you manage to sleep?”

  “Some.”

  “Good. How’s the pain on a scale of one to ten?”

  “Seven.”

  If the white skin around his mouth was any indication, it was worse than that. She’d already accessed the next round of the heavier pain meds in anticipation and added it to his IV. “That should help.”

  “Thanks.”

  Herb, stopped his breakfast cart out in the hall and brought in a tray. “Here you go.”

  Matt grimaced. “I’m not hungry.”

  She’d heard that plenty of times, but she was in charge here. “Eat what you can and drink plenty so we can get rid of some of these drips. It all helps the healing process.” Her tone of voice worked wonders.

  “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

  With Herb’s help, Aimee sat Matt up and pulled the side table towards him.

  She lifted the cover and watched as he looked down at the food dubiously. She hid a grin. Nothing new there. “I’m sure it tastes better than it looks.”

  He handed her his fork. “How about you try it, then you can tell me if it’s worth the effort.”

  Aimee couldn’t help laughing. The drugs were already kicking in if he was able to make jokes. She picked up the fork and scooped up some mashed potato and peas. The meat was an unappealing gray mince, so she left that off.

  “Come on, don’t be a baby.”

  His eyes widened, as did his lips. It never failed because, in her opinion, men couldn’t resist proving they were tough. She slipped the food into his disbelieving mouth which snapped shut causing him to wince.

  “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  With a gulp, he swallowed. “Seriously? That is not proper food.”

  “It’s nutritious and I dare say easier to swallow than a big steak.”

  “Maybe, but it’s gross.”

  “Look, there’s Jell-O. I won’t make you eat the dinner if you eat your desert”

  He looked at her like she was crazy, but allowed her to feed him nevertheless. She should be getting home by now. It had been a long night and morning and she was so tired. This was not part of her job, but Matt was a bit of light relief, and he was all alone. Plus, there was no one waiting for her at home. Not anymore.

  “How about you try this yourself?” She handed him the spoon.

  “Me? I’m injured.”

  “Oh my—you’re going to be a handful, I can tell.”

  Matt grinned and winced, a combination he seemed to be getting the hang of. “You have no idea. You’re Aimee Parker?” He was looking at her name badge.

  “That’s right. Nurse Parker to you.”

  He winked. “I like a woman in uniform.” Then his eyes changed direction to just beyond her shoulder. “Mom!”

  Aimee swiveled to find a tall, elegant, gray-haired woman with a giant of a man at her side. The woman had tears in her eyes as she hurried across the room.

  “Matthew. Thank goodness we found you. We were so worried.”

  Aimee moved away, plucking up the file hanging from the end of the bed as the woman hugged her son. The man stood immediately inside the door with a hard look on his face, but it was for show, she decided. He was just another man, struggling to come to terms with his emotions.

  “Andy was the one to find you. Last night when you didn’t come home, we weren’t sure if you had gone somewhere else with someone. But this morning, I knew something had happened, so I rang him.”

  Matt peered around his mother to the big man, who looked more awkward than before. “Thanks, Andy. I couldn’t remember much before the accident until I saw you both.”

  The two men stared at each other for a moment, some sort of understanding going back and forth, until Andy nodded. “Glad you’re alive. I’ll go outside and call the family. Coverage is better out there.”

  Aimee turned away from the private moment. She loved and hated to witness it. Something in her yearned for such a moment, but she had no family. No one who cared like these people.

  She should go, yet several emotions kept her there. She fussed with equipment and notes, surreptitiously watching mother and son, and not immune to the love in the other man’s eyes, even while he tried to hide it.

  The interchange, of soft words and encouragement gave her goosebumps. It was ridiculous, given that she saw such things every day, yet this felt different. Could it be because Matt watched her every move and, even though it must hurt, he smiled at her whenever their eyes met?

  “Do you need something, nurse Parker?” he finally asked.

  She tapped a pen on the file. “Yes, if you don’t mind, I’d like to update your details?”

  “Of
course. Ask anything you like.”

  Aimee blushed at the questioning look on his mother’s face. “Your full name would be a start.”

  Chapter Three

  “Matthew Knight.” Matt said, feeling as though he’d won a lottery. It had been a weird thing, not knowing who he was. Even if it were only for a short time.

  He answered all Aimee’s questions, some with his mother’s help, since he had no recollection of vaccinations and the like. His mom remembered every minutia of her children’s lives and she rattled it off, as if it was no big deal to do so.

  Another nurse came into the room, looking flustered. “Aimee, I’m so sorry. I had a puncture and no spare tire.”

  “It’s okay, Tammy. I’ve been collating Mr. Knight’s details and given him his medications.” She handed over the chart and turned back to Matt and his mother. “Nice to have met you Mrs. Knight, and glad that you’ve remembered who you are, Matthew Knight.” She smiled warmly. “Goodnight and see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Aimee. I look forward to it.”

  She stopped in the doorway. His use of her first name had been deliberate and she knew it. She frowned at him, then shaking her head her head at his wink, she left. But not before he’d seen her answering grin.

  When she’d gone, his mother pulled his attention away from the lovely nurse Parker.

  “You had me quite worried, Matthew.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I really couldn’t remember who I was.”

  She stared at him intently. “Is that the truth?”